Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has reportedly told the club to stop negotiating for a player as he is ‘not at the level’ he wants.
Guardiola, 54, saw his Manchester City finish the 2024/25 season without a trophy after finishing third in the Premier League and losing the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
Although they could technically still finish the extended season with silverware if they win the newly-formatted 32-team Club World Cup.
Guardiola’s side will no doubt be strengthened by the return of the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, but could see others such as Jack Grealish leave the club.
As a result, they will likely recruit this summer.
However, speaking earlier in May, the former Barcelona boss said he’d rather leave the club than have to work with a bloated squad.
Man City may look to bolster their squad this summer (Credit:Getty)
Man City may look to bolster their squad this summer (Credit:Getty)
"I said to the club, I don't want that,” said Guardiola. “I don't want to leave five or six players in the tribune.
“I don't want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It's impossible for my soul to give [leave] my players in the tribune, that they cannot play."
Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah all signed in the January transfer window, further adding to the depth at Guardiola’s disposal.
Several Kevin De Bruyne replacements have also been linked with possible transfers to City, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Florian Wirtz, and Rayan Cherki all mentioned – although Liverpool are in the driving seat to sign Wirtz.
A move for Barcelona and Uruguay centre-back Ronaldo Araujo was also mooted, but reports from Football 365 suggest that the City boss has told the club’s hierarchy to halt negotiations ‘because he is not at the level’.
Ronaldo Araujo in action for Barcelona (Credit:Getty)
Ronaldo Araujo in action for Barcelona (Credit:Getty)
Earlier this week, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak revealed that the club will be aggressive in this summer’s transfer market.
“This year is another year where I think when I look back, last summer, we probably should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do,” Khaldoon told the club’s official website.
He added: “We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option. And we’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. And our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”